A Presidential Inauguration
The Bonds We Form
In his inaugural address, President Sean Decatur compares Kenyon to a catalyst, "attracting people who otherwise might not meet to this Hill in Ohio, building bonds among students and among students and faculty, transforming mind and spirit with a powerful educational experience inside and outside of the classroom."
Illumination of Old Kenyon
Old Kenyon illuminates the south end of Middle Path on the night of President Sean Decatur's inauguration. Members of the campus community crowded around the building for the spectacular light show, which started at 8 p.m. when the bell in Old Kenyon's tower pealed 19 times in honor of Kenyon's 19th president.
Amazing Grace
Allen B. Ballard Jr. ’52, Kenyon’s first African-American graduate, honors President Sean Decatur with a moving performance of “Amazing Grace.” Inauguration festivities also included a talk by Ric Shefield, professor of sociology and legal studies, on the history of “black faculty on the hill,” and a Black Student Union alumni reception at Cromwell Cottage.
Members of the Kenyon community, from on and off the Hill, gathered on campus October 26, 2013 to commemorate the inauguration of Kenyon's 19th president, Sean Decatur.
Highlights of the inauguration included an installation ceremony in the Kenyon Athletic Center where President Decatur addressed the crowd, a presidential gala in Peirce Hall featuring a performance from Beatles' cover band "Revolution Pie," and an illumination of Old Kenyon that lit up the south end of Middle Path with a radiant presidential greeting.